Letters From A Tory Daily views on British politics and the Conservative Party from a centre-right thinker who writes letters on his blog to politicians, journalists and many others.

Dear Hilary Clinton,

I must admit that I didn’t realise you were such a fan of Michael Moore films.  His recent film ‘Sicko’, which I’m looking forward to seeing on its UK release, clearly made an impact on you.  Healthcare is one of the most contentious issues in American politics and in the same way that Fahrenheit 9/11 made things difficult for the Republicans over the Iraq war, Sicko promises to do the same on healthcare – which may help to explain your incredibly generous $110 billion healthcare package announced today as part of your presidential campaign.

I assume you will make some savings elsewhere to pay for this scheme, seeing as the national debt runs into the trillions of dollars and the US has a massive trade deficit that isn’t helping matters.  I am also curious about how you intend to sell this to the American public, because your vision of universal healthcare for those without health insurance is a financial black hole that could suck the life out of your future government.  Healthcare in the USA is polarised, with those in possession of good private medical insurance getting world-class healthcare and those without insurance getting sub-standard government care, if any.  Should you wish to build a sustainable and effective healthcare system to support the needy, perhaps you should be looking to European healthcare models such as France and Germany instead of pouring money into supporting the weak whilst ignoring the fundamental problems inherent in private medical insurance – a system which is seldom found in any other Western nation.  Futhermore, you surely realise that it is often the people who have low paid jobs who suffer more than the unemployed in America, as most healthcare is provided by employers but those in low paid jobs are often ignored because of the expense to their boss.

Hilary, I know you’re desperate for votes and I understand that this is a core issue for voters, but is this policy too good to be true and what economic damage might you be causing to a future democratic administration by making such promises before you have even been elected?

Yours truly,

A.Tory